SMU Ends Non-Conference Slate Against Rival TCU

SMU’s brutal non-conference schedule, which has proven to be even more disastrous than many originally thought, will come to an end this Saturday when the Mustangs take on rival TCU.

The Mustangs, of course, have been downright dreadful in their first three games, ranking dead last in the FBS in both scoring offense and scoring defense. Four different quarterbacks have seen playing time already for SMU, and interim head coach Tom Mason has indicated that he’ll most likely start junior Garrett Krstich under center on Saturday.

Krstich, a former walk-on who was listed fourth on the depth chart this spring, saw a little bit of playing last weekend against Texas A&M when he came on in relief of starter Kolney Cassel. Krstich was fairly effective against the Aggies, completing 13 of his 24 passes for 137 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. Unfortunately for him and the stagnant SMU offense, they’ll be going up against a Horned Frogs team that has allowed just 225 passing yards through two games.

TCU has looked impressive in its two wins this season, handily defeating Minnesota and FCS opponent Samford. Gary Patterson’s Horned Frogs look much improved since last season, when they finished at 4-8, their first losing record since 2004. Now, they’ll head to Dallas off a bye week looking to keep the Iron Skillet (the rivalry’s trophy) in Fort Worth.

While the rivalry’s all-time record has TCU leading by a small margin at 46-40-7, the Horned Frogs have dominated SMU for more than a decade. TCU has won 12 of the last 14 meetings, with the Mustangs’ last victory coming in 2011. It’s a far cry from SMU’s heyday, when they beat the Horned Frogs 15 straight times between 1972 and 1986.

Though there may come a day in the future when SMU restores balance to the rivalry, it’s extremely unlikely that it will happen this Saturday.

After struggling mightily on offense in 2013, TCU has looked far more efficient moving the ball so far this season. Quarterback Trevone Boykin, who threw seven touchdowns and seven interceptions last year, has been solid through two games. Boykin has thrown for 578 yards, four touchdowns and one interception on 56-of-87 passing.

A big reason for this early success is the high-tempo offense that has been implemented by new co-offensive coordinators Doug Meacham and Sonny Cumbie, a drastic change in the culture for a TCU program that has based its gameplan around its stout defense under Patterson.

The sample size is small for the Horned Frogs, but there’s little reason to expect that the new offense will slow down at all against an SMU defense that is giving up 530 yards and 48.7 points per game.

2014 has not been kind to the Mustangs so far, and it’s unlikely that they’ll start turning things around against their rival this weekend.